Fairies
Physical Characteristics Fey, in their natural forms, are between 6-9 inches in height. All fey possess, usually, at least one pair of wings, though two pairs are not uncommon. Some species are able to adopt larger humanoid forms, and when in these styles they do not have wings. All fey have pointed ears, but differences among sub-species influence things like hair color, eye color, and other morphological features. Culture Faefolk are vegetarians and tend to be consumers of nature. They take over deep sections of the forest, often competing with Nymphs for natural resources. Fey are defiantly on the unruly side and are frequently described as vain. The fey have no set religious tomes or deities, but they do believe in Mother Nature; they regard her as the earth's very soul and she is what grants them their magic. It is their duty to protect her, and in return, she grants them magic. A rather interesting quirk regarding the fey is that they are unable to lie--oh sure, they can manipulate and twist words or tell half-truths, but they cannot fully or directly lie; it is against their inner magic, chaotic neutral or not. Some Altier have mastered the silver tongue to counteract this natural trait; otherwise, they may ramble to derail and alter the question. Feyvin is the language of the Faeries.There are many dialects of this language, depending on the type of fey or geographical locations. It is a strange language that sounds different to those that do not know the tongue. Some claim to hear a chiming of bells, others, a babbling brook, but many hear intricate, garbled gibberish spoken so fast, one could not decipher syllables or sentence structure (this also changes with the faerie's size, it is easier to somewhat hear syllables and whatnot if the fae is humanoid size versus pixie size). There is magic within the language, and should one be blessed to learn it, will realize they are unable to lie or openly deceive in the language, giving some proof that fae themselves are unable to be obviously dishonest. It is worth mentioning that, despite this odd language, many fey understand and speak the native, non-fae languages of the land, but only regionally (so for example, fae living in or near Orbis would speak or understand Zlevhenan). Abilities Grig Also known as crick, these faeries possess insectoid legs, arms, and wings. They have compound eyes that grant them excellent vision. Grig seldom grow to heights beyond 6 inches, but very rarely some may reach close to a foot. Grig do not possess the ability to shift into larger humanoid forms and they are thought to be the most primitive species of fey. While they possess rudimentary magical abilities, Grig warfare relies primarily on weapons prowess than the arcane. Grig have a proclivity for string music and find the sound of such drawing. Of all fey, Grig seem the most bothered by extreme weather conditions. Pixie Fairy The most common fairies, pixies are able to grant beings flight and have a deep connection to arcanic magic. They do not have a humanoid form so they are unable to mate with races outside of feyfolk. Like grig, pixies are diminutive in size and, often, though not unanimously, display insectoid characteristics. Behaviorally, they seem to be more mischievous than other fey-types. Fae-touched A rare group of fairies that have the ability to shift between a humanoid form and a pixie form. Because of their ability to transform into more human-like creatures, Fae-touched can mate with other humanoid races. In their humanoid forms they often have horns. Some of them dabble in the elemental magic. Altier Fairy The youngest lineage of Faefolk and the most advanced. Like Fae-touched, these fairies posses the ability to transform into a humanoid form as well as a pixie form. They are able to animate inanimate objects and if they have the ability and stamina, once-living beings for a short duration. Altier fairies possess an innate manipulation over the the elements and are great users of arcanic magic. Most of these fairies have unique skin colors. They can have feathered wings that resemble those of birds or more translucent, insectoid-like wings. Altier fairies also seem to have unique abilities, but this is very rare. This kind of the fairy is almost extinct due to the Katari family. The Altier fae are weak to irons--or rather, any metal that isn't gold. It burns on contact and can even poison a fae--they would have to be taken back to the fae realms to heal if the poisoning is left untreated, otherwise it can prove fatal. Too much iron or metal around can even disrupt their magic, particularly elemental magic. This also applies to salt--they are weak to it and it burns them is why water fae cannot control the ocean. This is not common knowledge, and at the same time it is. There are superstitious quirks in small towns about how a pinch of salt on your windowsill will keep the little folk out, or always place a spoon in your child's crib, etc etc. Though, some who live near the fae and studied them, would know of their aversion, as well as higher nobility. Another hindrance to the fae race is invitation and invocation--a fae cannot enter a home that is not theirs without invitation, or suffer the lack of invocation. What that means is, if a fae breaks into your house or is never invited, they are not able to use their powers and are more susceptible to injury. Some Altier are even forcefully reverted to their smaller forms, depending on the severity of the lack of invite (accidentally shoved into a building or walking in a home without realizing it will not force a revert). There are loopholes of course that the fae heavily rely on--temples and places that welcome strangers have no effect, and anyone can invite you, be it house staff or a stranger that's already inside. Weaknesses All fey are weakened by the touch of metals and salts. Exposure renders them ill, and prolonged contact leads to death. Faefolk tend to be incredibly weak beings physically, and some even have hollow/honeycomb bones, making them very fragile. Other It's really hard for them to stay in their humanoid form for a long period of time. Though there has been cases of certain Fae staying hidden for years as a human. These are often called "Changelings". Although the Fair Folk do not often directly deal with mortal affairs, their curiosity can get the better of them, and their meddling has been the cause of rejoice, and disdain among many for centuries. Most races view Faeries as an inconceivably strange race. Tir na Nog is the hidden fae capital. It consists of a grove of redwood trees, hollowed out with magic yet still alive and not in any pain. The branches are grafted and woven together, forming bridges on the outside and hallways on the inside. At the center of the grove is a clearing, where the town and fae markets are located. The trees themselves are important establishments, such as temples for Mother Nature, housing for nobility--particularly the largest redwood of all, which is the palace. This redwood tree has magic flowing through its roots, with branches and leaves bound with magic and gold. Guards are visible and hidden by bark and leaf, and only authorized individuals are allowed--those without access are unable to penetrate the magical aura. The entire grove has spells crafted through an ancient mushroom circle--those who actively seek the city with ill intent, are unable to find it, as well as those the Queen deems unworthy. Of course, those with an ounce of fae blood are able to sense it (and see it, if they have good intent). The entire fae realms are connected to this grove by moor fields, giving faes access to the capital upon entering the moorfield near their own villages or towns. Only willing, pure-blooded fae can travel through it to the capital--a fae cannot be forced, however a fae can force any to enter their realm. Of course, the city is not entirely un-penetrable--during festivities or full moons, fairy rings (mushroom circles where fae celebrate) activate, giving both fae and other access to the realms. Be warned, if offered food or drink within the realms or cities, you will be in service of the fae and may be trapped forever. A loophole would be to pay for it with a gold coin or give them a gift in return without hesitation--a fae is too prideful to admit they were attempting to trick you, and thus will humbly accept the gift in return. A well off fae city is usually near tree roots or even the trunks--rarely will fae reside up in canopies where predators lurk. Smaller villages usually live within or near mushrooms or fallen, hollow trees, though this is in regards to normal fae and some elemental fae such as water, earth, light, etc. Fire fae usually reside on charred lands or even in or around volcanoes--it is not uncommon to see them in cities or the capital, however, as fire can be found anywhere and sometimes the Queen commissions them to burn a forest for renewal. A random note: No matter what type of fey, if one is captured in their smaller form, they are unable to transform until released (as in, if they are dropped into a jar, they cannot change for the jar would kill them. For hands, it depends on how they are held and how tightly. Another, random note is that because fey are such delicate creatures, they are more prone to injuries compared to most other species. To combat this, mother nature has given them progressed healing, provided if they are near their element (fire fae to fire or lava, water to water, etc). If not, they are able to drain the life force of plants around them, and go into a restorative healing coma within the trees. In this way, they become insanely vulnerable, because they cannot wake up or defend themselves. Some birds of prey will watch them go into the coma before picking at tree bark until they get to the fae and gobble them up. If they are pulled from the bark before they heal, they will be in a coma for several weeks before waking up, unless the injuries are too severe in which case they will die if not returned to the tree. They cannot enter trees harbored by nymphs or dryads. Finally, fey are a rare and elusive species. They are typically sought out by poachers and zealots for their innate magical properties. Their wings and other body parts are used as ingredients for certain magical spells.